OK, this is of course the main question all clubbies face. And there are many solutions, tho none is perfect - you sort of have to try various combinations until you find the one that works best for you. Remember - none are perfect. If there were a perfect remedy, I wouldn't need to do this blog!
First - you need to look at your own behavioral habits - you need to learn to obey your own "half-way point." This is the point of walking and standing where you know you are exactly halfway to the "oh, crap, am I going to have a bad day tomorrow" state. And respect that point - when you hit it, turn around right then and there, or sit yourself down and rest, with feet up if possible, to potentially - note that word - extend your halfway point further. This may or may not work - experiment to find the right point for yourself.
Second - you need the best shoes and best custom - not off-the-shelf, but actually custom-made - orthotics. These two items should matter more to you than a new car, or the latest whatever, because they are your first, and best, friends. If you have poor support and balance, that half-way point is going to be mighty short. If this doesn't make sense to you now, believe me, it will sooner or later. You will be much happier if you get the point sooner.
Third - soaks. Buy a big tub, big enough to put your feet in up to your knees. Fill it as high as you can (remember the displacement theory, unless you like a wet floor!), with as hot of water and epsom salts as you can, sit a chair in front of it, and slowly drop your feet into the tub. Don't forget to bring along a good book - you will be there until the water goes cold.
Consider elastic foot/ankle supports - see elsewhere on this blog for a link to some good styles.
Elevate your feet whenever you can - above the level of your heart. This will help reduce the inflammation. Make this a regular practice, and you will see the best benefit.
The best anti-inflammatory drug is aspirin. take enteric-coated aspirin if regular aspirin bothers your stomach. Aspirin is actually better at reducing inflammation than steroids and such. Plus, you don't need a prescription.
Massage. Make a good friend of a massage therapist, and teach them how to treat your feet the right way. Very highly recommended!
As you might notice from all of the above, the central point is to put yourself and your feet first in your life. Treat them nice, and they will give you many years. And do try to avoid having a doctor talk you into more surgery - it might work for a short time, but believe me, you will only move the pain somewhere else. Especially if they want to fuse something. I know this isn't the answer you hoped to hear, but it is an answer that is honest and founded on many, many years of experience, not just my own, but from many other clubbies. If you haven't found it yet, do join the Facebook group adults/teen with club foot, at https://www.facebook.com/groups/24892886820/?bookmark_t=group and meet hundreds of other clubbies from all over the world. Hope to see you there!
First - you need to look at your own behavioral habits - you need to learn to obey your own "half-way point." This is the point of walking and standing where you know you are exactly halfway to the "oh, crap, am I going to have a bad day tomorrow" state. And respect that point - when you hit it, turn around right then and there, or sit yourself down and rest, with feet up if possible, to potentially - note that word - extend your halfway point further. This may or may not work - experiment to find the right point for yourself.
Second - you need the best shoes and best custom - not off-the-shelf, but actually custom-made - orthotics. These two items should matter more to you than a new car, or the latest whatever, because they are your first, and best, friends. If you have poor support and balance, that half-way point is going to be mighty short. If this doesn't make sense to you now, believe me, it will sooner or later. You will be much happier if you get the point sooner.
Third - soaks. Buy a big tub, big enough to put your feet in up to your knees. Fill it as high as you can (remember the displacement theory, unless you like a wet floor!), with as hot of water and epsom salts as you can, sit a chair in front of it, and slowly drop your feet into the tub. Don't forget to bring along a good book - you will be there until the water goes cold.
Consider elastic foot/ankle supports - see elsewhere on this blog for a link to some good styles.
Elevate your feet whenever you can - above the level of your heart. This will help reduce the inflammation. Make this a regular practice, and you will see the best benefit.
The best anti-inflammatory drug is aspirin. take enteric-coated aspirin if regular aspirin bothers your stomach. Aspirin is actually better at reducing inflammation than steroids and such. Plus, you don't need a prescription.
Massage. Make a good friend of a massage therapist, and teach them how to treat your feet the right way. Very highly recommended!
As you might notice from all of the above, the central point is to put yourself and your feet first in your life. Treat them nice, and they will give you many years. And do try to avoid having a doctor talk you into more surgery - it might work for a short time, but believe me, you will only move the pain somewhere else. Especially if they want to fuse something. I know this isn't the answer you hoped to hear, but it is an answer that is honest and founded on many, many years of experience, not just my own, but from many other clubbies. If you haven't found it yet, do join the Facebook group adults/teen with club foot, at https://www.facebook.com/groups/24892886820/?bookmark_t=group and meet hundreds of other clubbies from all over the world. Hope to see you there!
I find that if I am standing for a long time, I will stand on the sides of my feet. At first my chiro and I were going to try and break me of that habit. Once we realized I was doing it to ease pressure from tight muscles, well we decided it was best to not correct this habit.
ReplyDeleteHe has me doing things like active sitting, I purchased a posture disk to sit on (not a donut). I have started using athletic tape on my feet, and have purchased a foot roller, foam roller, and a rolling stick.
I have also found 2 massage therapists that are willing to work with me, and listen to what I say. Best $90 I spend every month.
I have bilateral club feet as well, and have learned to look at the whole picture, I don't just treat the pain in my feet. I start treating from my hips down. I can roll out my quads and my feet will start feeling better within minutes.
Like Willy said, there is no perfect fix for this, you have to be willing to experiment and try what works best for you. Don't give up, just be willing to give things a try!!!
I do exactly the same thing as far as standing on the outsides of my feet, and yeah, I've had some professionals tell me to train myself out of it, but the more I learned the more my primary care physicians and I agreed that this is just a natural position for my body to adopt. I think a lot of people don't stop to listen to what their legs and feet are trying to tell them, and they overthink it rather than going by instinct (which all of us have, since we've been this way all our lives!).
DeleteI agree, too, that it's not just about our feet. It's everything. Our back, our hips, our knees... Gotta take care of them all. (I love this blog, and the FB group. I went for so many years not having anyone who truly, firsthand understood what life is like for me. Thanks to all of you guys I no longer feel like an alien!)
When you roll your feet outward, what you are actually doing is stretching open the lateral sinus tarsi, which is the heart of the subtalar joint/mid-tarsal complex. This area becomes very compressed with the sort of maximal pronation many clubbies experience, so anything that can even briefly "open" the sinus tarsi will remove pressure off the deep nerves and the inflammation that is nearly always present in there. I also have my massage therapist do those stretches for me while on the table, because an active stretch - one which you do yourself - doesn't allow as much opening of the sinus tarsi as passive stretching can.
DeleteUnlike NBMK, I prefer over-the-counter Aleve or Naproxin. It works best if I take it in the morning BEFORE a busy day, before the pain starts. If I wait until I am already in pain, it doesn't work nearly as well.
ReplyDeleteI like GekGurly's comment... all good stuff to do. And it is true that keeping your whole body toned will help take some pressure off your feet.
When shopping I always take a cart if possible. It helps as support especially when waiting in long check-out lines and you can discretely rest your feet while leaning on the cart, lol.
Be pragmatic... experiment... do whatever works for you. But above all, like NBMK says, the MOST IMPORTANT thing you can do is invest in good supportive shoes and/or orthotics.